By Mayor Emeritus Eugene C. Brune

42 years ago, this past Sunday and only in my twelfth week as mayor, I had my “baptism by fire,” so to speak. At about 8:30 a.m. on the morning of April 3, 1980, I received a telephone call at my home, just as I was about to leave for my office.

By State Senator Pat Jehlen

We celebrate not just the opening of the first GLX stations, but the decades of community activism that made it possible:

The mothers who tried to block the construction of I-93, the neighbors who fought and succeeded in stopping the construction of the Inner Belt through our neighborhood, the Conservation Law Foundation which sued to get the commitment to the GLX as part of I-93 mitigation and then again when it was threatened, the hundreds of activists who filled the Somerville High School auditorium twice when the project was about to be canceled, the advocates who persisted with STEP, the Friends of the Community Path, and the Medford Green Line Neighborhood Alliance, as well as the elected leaders recognized today.

(The opinions and views expressed in the commentaries and letters to the Editor of The Somerville Times belong solely to the authors and do not reflect the views or opinions of The Somerville Times, its staff or publishers)

Dear Somerville Times,

This is a response to Jason Mackey’s letter dated March 23, headed “do not establish a local historic district at 125 Highland Ave.”

I can tell your readers that the Historic Commission did not take Mr. Mackey’s advice. They did, in fact, vote to establish the address as a local historic district. Now the matter goes before the City Council.

Compliance with construction codes for both the Cities of Somerville and Medford are key components of plans for the future of the site at 483 Broadway. — Photos by Bobbie Toner

By Kyle Dante

A recent community Zoom meeting, sponsored by Ward 5 City Councilor Beatriz Gómez Mouakad, took place on Tuesday, March 29 regarding the relocation of Woody’s Liquors to 483 Broadway.

Mayor Katjana Ballantyne and Ward 3 City Councilor Ben Ewen-Campen invite you to a virtual public meeting about upcoming construction in Spring Hill. The Spring Hill Sewer Separation Project is one in a series of projects across the city that will mitigate flooding, reduce waterway pollution, and upgrade century-old infrastructure. The first phase of work will begin in earnest this spring and is expected to continue through 2023 on Summer Street (Belmont Street to Bow Street), Central Street (Highland Avenue to Summer Street), Westwood Road, Avon Street, and Carter Terrace. This meeting will outline the project goals, scope of work, and anticipated construction impacts. Join in Wednesday, April 6, at 6:00 p.m. For more information and to register to attend, go to somervillema.gov/springhill.

Mary M. Peterson, 81, of Kingston, Rhode Island, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, March 8, 2022 with her devoted husband and loving family by her side. Born and raised in Somerville Massachusetts to Margaret J. (Corbett) and Peter George G. Cernada (who later moved to East Boston), Mary then moved to Kingston, Rhode Island with her husband John, where they raised their five children.

Long awaited-for changes are coming soon to Somerville’s Davis Square. Many redevelopment plans are all but complete and construction activities are imminent.

These specific plans involve the renovation of several commercial properties and a number of new enterprises are expected to take up occupancy, while currently existing businesses will be moved around a bit as the overall project takes shape.

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Mark Pawlak, a former Somerville resident, had an informal apprenticeship with the late poet Denise Levertov (1923 to 1997). Levertov, a noted lyrical and political poet held court at her home at Glover Circle, right outside Davis Square.

At around 7:10 p.m. Tuesday evening Somerville Police received a report of shots fired in the area of 10a Memorial Rd. in Somerville.

Upon arrival, police found that multiple shots had been fired. Two bullets were found to have entered the first-floor window of the building